Product design is about cost-benefit analysis

Product design is about cost-benefit analysis. How useful is something versus how hard is it to do. Here’s how I think of it:

The cost-benefit analysis of features

Every type of feature can be identified as belonging to one of four quadrants: low reward and low effort; low reward and high effort; high reward and low effort; and high reward and high effort.  

It’s important to know which quadrant you’re building in and if you’re wise, you’ll steer clear of the upper left for all but the most essential of features.

This excerpt was first published in Intercom on Product Management. Head this way to read more.